


A Little More Time For Me

by interrobangme



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: A Bit of Fluff, First Mission, M/M, Prompt Fic, get-together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 08:24:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3481154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/interrobangme/pseuds/interrobangme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A frustrated brawl on a rooftop in Versailles. Or, how Merlin and Harry got together.</p>
<p>This was inspired by a prompt from chibicheeberson, who was looking for Merlin getting into trouble away from his tech, and Harry saving him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little More Time For Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is a result of a prompt from chibicheeberson on my Tumblr. Thanks, cheebs!
> 
> This is the way I imagine Merlin and Harry getting together, and was mentioned briefly in my fic, Superior to Your Former Self, but can be read on its own. 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

"Oui, and the petticoats as well." Merlin grinned as the circle of people around him laughed. He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair and leaned back into the booth. He looked across the room for Harry, who was talking with the bartender, hoping to gain some information regarding their target’s hidden headquarters.

"You really must stay, William," the target in question slurred, leaning onto Merlin’s shoulder. She slipped, nearly dropping her drink, and it gave Merlin the opportunity he’d been waiting for all evening. 

He caught her by the elbow and made a show of pulling her upright and into place, laughing and making jokes about her balance. With his other hand, he retrieved her glass of champagne, as if to keep it from spilling. He flicked the inside of his ring and the tracker fell from it and into the glass. Merlin’s hand hovered over the drink for just a moment. If all went according to plan, the translucent tech would dissolve into the glass. The microtransmitters in it would be consumed by Mademoiselle Barbier and they’d have her location for the next twelve hours.

He handed the drink back to her (“Drink up, Mademoiselle! I wouldn’t want to see that fetching smile leave your face.”) and took a swig from his own glass. He made eye contact with Harry, who had watched the ordeal from the bar. Merlin smiled and nodded once. Harry practically glared back, but knew the objective was complete. 

Harry paid his tab and headed for the door. He ducked outside into the dark without a glance at Merlin, who was gently extricating himself from the target’s embrace. 

"Now now, Mademoiselle, I can’t possibly stay any longer. I have a meeting in the morning, and besides," he removed her clenched fingers from his bespoke suit, "I wouldn’t want you to grow tired of me."

She swayed when he released her, and the circle of hangers-on laughed. The table of four burly men next to them, however, stood as if to catch her. Merlin quirked an eyebrow. Bodyguards. 

"Au revoir! Until we meet again," he slipped out of her next attempt at a hug and backed away to the door, waving and smiling. Mademoiselle Barbier stomped a foot and turned to her bodyguards. 

The men stood in one synchronized motion, making their way towards Merlin, who could feel the door at his back at last. 

"Monsieur, you simply cannot leave. To deny the Mademoiselle is a cruelty she cannot bear," the closest man said.

Merlin continued to make his apologizes, pushing against the door behind him. 

He felt the cool air outside and stumbled backwards until his feet met cobblestones. One of the bodyguards, a squat man with a long mustache, reached a meaty fist through the door and caught Merlin by the lapels. 

He yanked him back inside, then hurled the agent back into the street with ease. 

The four men flanked Merlin as he struggled to get his feet under him. 

"Don’t hurt him too badly!" Mademoiselle Barbier called. "I need him in good condition for tonight."

Merlin crouched, his hands braced on the road as if to heave himself up, but instead he swept his legs out, knocking down two of the guards. The other two lunged at him as he scrambled down a nearby alleyway. He climbed over a spiked fence and lost the squat man, but the two he’d knocked down had caught up. 

Three men followed him down the winding alleys. Merlin tried to picture a map of Versailles in his mind, but on the ground everything seemed so different. There were so many little paths that couldn’t all be noted on a map.

He turned a corner and skidded to a halt to avoid stepping on a cat. The cat scurried away, but the man behind Merlin snatched his suit jacket and pulled him back. The man drew back a fist, but Merlin ducked and slipped free of his jacket. He grabbed the jacket, still held limply in the bodyguard’s hand, and flipped it over the man’s face. 

Merlin kicked the guard’s chest, and the large man fell to the ground, wheezing. Merlin took off down the alley. He could hear the remaining two guards huffing behind him. 

Merlin turned left, then right, the walls and roads around him a blur. Finally, he hit a dead end. He turned to face his attackers. He ran at them and attempted to leap onto the taller man, but his partner plucked him out of the air and pitched him down to the ground. 

They approached slowly, their large chests heaving with the effort of the chase. Merlin backed up against the brick wall of the alley and tried to plan his attack. What was that move to use a man’s weight against him? Could he throw the tall man over his shoulder? Was there even enough room?

Merlin patted his pockets, remembering belatedly that his jacket was gone. Any gadgets he’d had on him were gone with it. He suddenly felt very exposed and very small.

The tall man grabbed Merlin by the shoulders and pressed him up against the wall. He kneed Merlin in the stomach and dropped him. Merlin clutched at his middle, racking his brain for how best to deal with the situation, but he could only think of the prototypes he’d had in his jacket. The razor-edged business cards would have come in handy.

The other man heaved Merlin back up off the ground, pinning his arms behind his back. Merlin squirmed, trying to break free, but the man merely squeezed harder. He bucked, kicking out behind him, but the taller man had come back and drew back a fist.

A dark figure fell from the sky, appearing out of nowhere, and dropped onto the tall man’s back. They both fell to the ground and rolled around the alley in a tangle of limbs. Surprised, the other man slackened his grip on Merlin, who head-butted him. 

Merlin, his training finally taking over, grabbed the man by his wrist and rolled him over his shoulder, into the brick wall. By now the dark figure had stood up and left the tall man prone on the ground. 

"What are you waiting for?! Let’s get out of here," the figure called to Merlin. He stepped into the light of an ancient, dim streetlamp. 

"Harry," Merlin began, but his voice cracked. He cleared his throat. "I thought you’d left."

Harry began to make a precarious stack of crates and buckets. He scrabbled onto it, pulling himself onto the rooftop above. Merlin gaped at him. 

"Yeah well, maybe I would have if I thought you could handle this on your own." Harry said, offering a hand to Merlin. Merlin nearly snubbed it until the men on the ground stirred, slowly rising. 

He took Harry’s hand and determinedly ignored how warm it felt, and the way his stomach dropped at the contact. He was pulled up onto the roof just as the men below limped over. They tried to climb after him, but the stack of odds and ends collapsed. 

Merlin followed Harry, who was bolting across the roof. He leapt over the gap between buildings and landed on the next, still running. Merlin jumped as well, hurrying to keep up with Harry. 

He reveled in the cold air in his lungs, the feel of physical exertion. A few rooftops later, Harry slowed to a stop, looking behind him. “I think they’re gone,” he said, leaning his hands on his legs and gulping in air. 

Merlin nodded and nearly smiled, but remembered his annoyance with Harry. “I could have handled that on my own, you know,” he wheezed, leaning against some empty chicken coops inexplicably left on the roof.

Harry’s head snapped up. “Oh, really? Because to me it looked like you were getting your arse handed to you.”

"I’m just as much an agent as you are," Merlin said, his voice raspy.

Harry straightened up and stalked over to Merlin. “Yes, well, maybe if you spent more time in combat classes instead of fiddling around in the lab I wouldn’t have to hang around to see if you’re okay, let alone rescue you.”

"I’m not some damsel to be rescued!" Merlin shouted, stepping closer to Harry. 

Harry leaned in until their faces were merely an inch apart. “Prove it.” He placed his hands on Merlin’s chest and shoved.

Merlin launched himself at Harry, and they fell in a mass of jabbing elbows and fists. Harry tried to wriggle out from under Merlin, but Merlin caught him in the side with a solid kick. 

"Christ!" Harry gasped, falling on Merlin. He swung blindly, grabbing his side.  
Harry’s fist connected with Merlin’s nose. A horrendous crack sounded, and blood poured onto Merlin’s face. 

"Fuck, Harry! You’ve broken my bloody nose!" Merlin held up his hands to try and stem the flow of blood. Harry reached down to help, but Merlin kicked again, hitting him in the same side as before.

Harry doubled over, coughing. “And you’ve broken my ribs! Can we call a truce, before the internal bleeding starts?” Harry held out a hand. Merlin’s was blood-soaked, but he shook anyways.

"Truce." Harry sat down beside Merlin, their sides touching. Harry gingerly removed his suit jacket, wincing at the pain in his side. He reached up to his left arm and tore off the sleeve, handing it to Merlin. 

"Here. Take it."

Merlin balled up the sleeve and held it to his bleeding nose. “You didn’t have to do that.” He said, stuffily. “I know how much you love these suits.”

Harry merely focused on pulling his jacket back on without agitating his side. 

"You know," Merlin went on, "if you hate me so much you could just bloody well leave me alone. If you think I’m really that incompetent I’m bound to be killed anyways."

Harry startled against Merlin’s arm. He made an effort to relax, but Merlin could feel his tension. 

"Maybe I was, I don’t know… a little bit worried," Harry answered, poking his foot out in front of him to kick at some bits of gravel on the roof.

"And why is that?" Merlin said, resolutely staring at his hands pressed to his face. 

"Well you don’t train in the gyms enough," Harry said, louder now. "You miss half the bloody classes."

"Didn’t think you’d noticed," Merlin said, voice muffled by the shirt but somehow still haughty.

"Yes, well," Harry returned to pushing dirt around with this shoes, "you’re wrong on that too then. I just wish you’d spend a little less time with those bloody wires and gears and that giant computer—"

"They have such potential! They can do such amazing things!" Merlin interjected.

"—And spend more time getting fit for defending yourself. And maybe," Harry grew quieter now, "if you have more time out of that lab you’d have some time to spend with me."

Merlin turned to Harry. He looked at his crumpled friend, holding his ribs and staring at the gravel he swirled with his shoe. 

"Yeah," Merlin said, "I guess that would be okay. I could spend less time in the lab if I had something worth my time."

Harry looked at him. “There’s lots to do. We could get dinner, or see a show. I know all the best places.” He cleared his throat. “Would you like that, William?” He finished, trying out Merlin’s real name from training.

"I prefer Bill," Merlin said, pulling the sleeve away from his face to see that the bleeding had stopped. He cleaned himself up a bit and continued. "Yeah, I think I’d like to do that sometime."

Harry looked at him, his brown eyes sparkling, and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on Merlin’s lips. They both flinched, reaching for their various injuries. Harry grinned anyways and stood slowly. 

He reached out a hand to Merlin. “Well, I think it’s about time to get some fresh bread from the bakers. I can smell it from here.”

Merlin glared up at him, holding his nose. 

"Er, right. But you can still taste it, at least." Harry said, losing some of his composure, but holding out a hand. "Care to join me, Bill?"

Merlin took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. “Sure, Harry. Sounds good to me.” 

They hobbled off across the roof, and if Harry noticed that Merlin never released his hand, he didn’t say anything.


End file.
